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Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda
Published on: October 14, 2011
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High-throughput screening reveals diverse lambdoid prophage inducers.
Gayatri Nair1, Rabia Fatima1, Alexander P Hynes1,2
1Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Microbiology Spectrum
|October 27, 2025
Summary
Researchers screened 3,921 compounds to find new prophage (dormant virus) inducers. They discovered commonly ingested substances and bleomycin, a potent antibiotic, can awaken these viruses, expanding prophage research tools.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Genetics
Background:
- Prophages are dormant bacteriophage genomes integrated into bacterial chromosomes.
- Prophage activation, often leading to bacterial cell death, is crucial in shaping microbial communities.
- Traditional prophage induction relies on DNA-damaging agents like mitomycin C, triggering the bacterial SOS response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel prophage inducers beyond traditional DNA-damaging agents.
- To expand the understanding of compounds capable of activating dormant prophages.
- To discover new tools for prophage research.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput screening of 3,921 compounds against the model lambdoid prophage HK97.
- Utilizing a model phage-host system to identify compounds inducing prophage activation.
- Validating findings across multiple phage-host pairings.
Main Results:
- Identified multiple novel prophage inducers from diverse pharmacological classes, including dietary supplements and therapeutics.
- All identified compounds induced prophage activation via SOS-dependent pathways.
- Bleomycin demonstrated potent, broad-spectrum prophage induction, surpassing standard inducers.
Conclusions:
- Commonly ingested xenobiotics can act as prophage inducers.
- Bleomycin is a powerful and cost-effective agent for prophage induction and research.
- This study expands the known repertoire of prophage-activating compounds.
